In the prior art of filtering highly corrosive materials at high temperatures and pressures, it has been customary to remove the entire filter element, including the tubular support member as well as the filter media member for cleaning or replacement. Such has been required because the filter element has been constructed as an integral unit with the filter media member permanently affixed to the tubular metal support member.
When the filter element required replacement, it was necessary to replace it with a completed filter element including the metal support and filter media member permanently attached thereto, even though only the filter media member was damaged or otherwise rendered inoperative.
When the prior art filter element was to be cleaned, the interface between the filter media member and the metal support member could not be directly reached during the cleaning process and as a result cleaning required a long period of time and did not always fully clean the filter element, thereby reducing the overall number of times the filter element could be cleaned and thus the life of the filter element.
The best known prior art are U.S. Pats. Nos. 3,312,349 and 3,750,889.